1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to medical devices, and more particularly to a needle used in an intravascular assembly such as a catheter.
2. Description of Related Art
Intravascular assemblies such as catheter assemblies are generally used for passing fluids between a device such as a syringe or a drip to or from body lumens such as veins or arteries, or other internal target sites. A catheter assembly usually includes a hub, a catheter, and a needle. An eyelet ring is typically inserted into the catheter. The catheter, together with the eyelet ring, is then inserted into an opening in the nose of the hub and is secured to the hub by press fitting the eyelet ring within the nose of the hub. A needle is then inserted into the catheter. A sharp tip of the needle is used for piercing a body lumen so that access may be gained into the body lumen by the catheter and the needle. Once the catheter and the needle are located within the body lumen, the needle is removed. A syringe or a pipe of a drip is then attached to the hub so that fluids may be passed through the hub and the catheter between the drip or the syringe and the body lumen. The hub is typically made of materials that provide sufficient rigidity thereto and the catheter is usually made of a material which is flexible.
In the prior art, a notched needle is known such as that which is shown in FIG. 1. This needle has a large oval hole at the distal end of the needle for allowing early visualization of blood flashback. However, a large oval hole weakens the cannula's bending strength. Accordingly, there is a need for a needle that allows for early visualization of bodily fluids entering the cannula of the needle that avoids affecting the bending strength of the cannula.